Refrigerator cabinet construction



June 26, 1956 R. E. WALLENBROCK REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 14. 1952 w xhw w m M E Ba k/E Wallenbrac/z United States Patent REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Ralph E. Wallenbroclr, Evansville, Ind., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 14, 1952, Serial No. 320,504

4 Claims. (Cl. 2035) This invention relates generally to refrigerator or freezer chest construction and more specifically to an improved type of construction for a refrigerator cabinet or a freezer chest door.

An object of this invention is to provide a construction for a refrigerator cabinet or freezer chest door which will have a minimum of parts, which are simple to assemble, and which will eifectively serve as such a door.

A feature of this invention is a retainer strip mounted about the edge of the door which serves to maintain the door as an assembled unit.

Another feature of this invention is a multi-purpose gasket serving to function as a compression member, a breaker strip and a sealing gasket.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent upon a perusal of the following specification and drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet or freezer chest door embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front plan view of a door constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross-ectional view of the retaining member and one of the hinges shown in Fig 2, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views of other constructions of the retaining strip of the invention.

The present embodiment is the preferred embodiment but it is to be understood that changes can be made in the present embodiment by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Generally, this invention comprises a refrigerator cabinet or freezer chest door construction wherein an outer door panel, an inner door panel, insulation and gasket means are pressed together as a sub-assembly, and then maintained in alignment as a door by the mounting of a channel-shaped retainer strip about the periphery of and overlapping the sub-assembly.

To describe the invention in detail, reference is first made to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention. A refrigerator cabinet or freezer chest door 3 is shown in cooperation with part of a refrigerator cabinet or freezer chest 2. Disposed between the walls of the cabinet or chest 2 is any insulation 9 well known in the art. The door 3 comprises an outer door panel 5, an inner door panel 4 with insulation 8 disposed therebetween. The insulation 8 can be of a rigid type which is molded to the shape of the outer and inner door panels. If this is done the outer and inner door panels need not be excessively rigid, as the rigid insulation will maintain the shape of the door. If such a construction is used the outer and inner panels may be of a plastic material, or one of the panels may be constructed of a thin metal sheet or some type of bonded laminated paper. If a resilient insulation 8 is used, the door panels must be constructed of a material such that the panels will maintain the shape of the door. Of course, various types of braces, well known in the art, may be used to aid in maintaining the shape of the door.

However, some advantages can be derived from the assembly of a non-rigid door. A soft sealing gasket may be used between the door and the cabinet, and the flexibility of the door will aid in'sealing the cabinet from'the air outside of the cabinet.

The gasket 7 extruded in the shape of a strip extends about the periphery of the door. A cross-sectional view of the gasket 7 is shown'in Fig. 1. The gasket 7 is a multi-purpose gasket. The portion of the gasket 7 dis posed between the outer and inner door panels acts as a compression member for the member 6 and maintains the panels properly spaced. The portion of the gasket 7 disposed between the inner panels 4 and the member 6 acts as a breaker strip to prevent the conduction of heat from the outer panel5 and the member 6 to the inner panel 4. The portion of the gasket 7 disposed between the cabinet 2 and the door 3 acts as a sealing gasket to seal the interior of the cabinet from the air outside there-- of. The various portions of the gasket 7 need not be formed together-as a unit. Three separate gaskets may be used in placeof the three portions of gasket 7.

The member 6 cooperating with the outer panel 5, inner panel 4, the compression portion and the breaker strip portion of the multi-purpose gasket 7, is a retainer strip 6. This retainer strip 6 serves to maintain the various parts of the door assembled as a unit. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the ret'ainerstrip 6 encloses the entire edge of the door 3. As previously described, the front panel 5, the insulation 8, the inner panel 4 and the multipurpose gasket 7 are assembled as a sub-assembly and the retainer strip 6 is then place about the edge of the door 3. As seen in Fig. 2, the retainer strip 6 is formed of two U-shaped members which, when mounted in cooperation with the other parts ofthe ,door, abut each other at their ends. The two portions of the retainer strip 6 are then connected to each other at their ends by any Well-known connecting means 12, such as by a conventional lap joint or by welding. Decorative emblems, such as emblem 13, may be mounted over the joints of the two portions of the retainer strip 6.

The retainer strip 6 can be fabricated in portions other than two identical U-shaped portions for mounting about the sub-assembly. Other examples of fabrication of the retainer strip 6 are shown in Figs. 4 and 6.- These modifications in the fabrication of the retainer strip -6 are important in that different points of joining may be used to shift the balance of the door and to shift the points of strengthin the retainer strip 6 dependent upon the particular stresses applied to the door when mounted to a refrigerator cabinet. Fig. 5 shows the retainer strip 6 fashioned of a U-shaped portion and a straight portion. This results in the connection of the two portions of the retainer strip 6 at two corners of the door 3. A modification of the retainer strip 6 between that shown in Figs. 2 and 4 is shown in Fig. 5, wherein the two portions of the retainer strip 6 are fashioned in the shape of a deep U and a shallow U respectively. This results in a connection of the two portions of the retainer strip 6 at points closely adjacent to two corners of the door 3.

For a rescription of the mounting means of the door 3 of this invention, reference is made to Figs. 2 and 3. The hinges 14 for the door are mounted to the retainer strip 6. As can be seen in Fig. 3, the hinge 14 including the pivoting means 16 is welded to the channel 6. Of course, other well-known means may be used for mounting the hinges 14 to the retainer strip 6. A conventional latching mechanism 15 is also mounted to the retainer strip 6. If, as described above, a flexible construction of the door is used with a soft sealing gasket, then magnets may be used instead of the latching mechanism 15 to maintain the door 3 in its closed position.

' except at the edges thereof, a multi-purpose gasket, comprising a resilient strip material having two slots longitudinally disposed in said gasket on opposite sides there of, one portion of 'said multi-purpose gasket disposed between said outer panel and said inner panel at the edges thereofand having the edgeof said inner panel disposed within one of said two slots for maintaining said panels in a' spaced apart relationship, a retainer strip formed of a U-shaped member and disposed to err-- tend about and to overlap the edges of said outer and inner panels, whereby said panels are maintained in alignment by said one portion of said multi-purpose gasket and said retainer strip, another portion of said multipurpose gasket disposed between one portion of said retainer strip and said inner panel and having said one portion of said retainer strip disposed within the other of said two slots, whereby said another portion of said multi-purpose gasket serves to prevent the passage of heat from said retainer strip to said inner panel, and a third portion of said multi-purpose gasket disposed adjacent said inner panel and said retainer strip for preventing the passage of heat between said door construction and a refrigerator when said door construction is mounted to a refrigerator.

2. A'door for a refrigerator cabinet comprising an outer panel, an inner panel, insulation disposed between said pa'nels'except at the edges thereof, compression gasket means disposed between said panels at the edges thereof for maintaining said panels in a spaced-apart reationship, a channel-shaped, member disposed'around the edges of and overlapping said panels for maintaining said panels in'alignment, a breaker strip disposed between said channel-shaped member and said inner panel at the outer marginal edges thereof to substantially reduced any thermal contact between said channelshaped member and said'inner panel, and a sealing gasket mounted on said channel-shaped member on the opposite side thereof from the side cooperating with said breaker strip thereby preventing the passage of any heat between said door and said refrigerator cabinet when mounted to cooperate withsaid refrigerator cabinet.

3.v A door for a refrigerator cabinet comprising a fiat outer panel, a flexible curvilinearinner panel, rigid insulation disposed between said panels except at the edges thereof, said insulation formed in the shape of the inner surfaces of said panels for maintaining the shape of said door, a multi-purpose gasket, a portion of said gasket disposed between said panels at the edges thereof, another portion of said gasket disposed on the other side of said inner panel at the edge thereof, a channel-shaped member disposed to extend about the edges of and overlapping said panels and said another portion of said gasket whereby said one portion of said gasket is compressed so that said one portion of said gasket and said channelshaped member maintain said panels in alignment, and whereby said another portion of said gasket serves to substantially reduce any thermal contact between said channel-shaped member and said inner panel, and a third portion of said gasket mounted on said channel-,

shaped member adjacent said inner panel, thereby preventing the passage of any heat between said door and said refrigerator cabinet when mounted to cooperate with said refrigerator cabinet. 7

4. A door for a refrigerator cabinet comprising a flat rigid outer panel, a rigid curvilinear inner panel, resilient insulation disposed between said panels assuming the shape of the inner surfaces of said panels to thereby prevent any conduction of heat from said outer panel,a multi-purpose gasket, a portion of said gasket disposed between said panels at the edges thereof, another portion of said gasket disposed on the other side of said inner panel at the edge thereof, a channel-shaped member disposed to extend about the'edges of and overlapping said panels and said another portion of said gasket whereby said one portion of said gasket is compressed 'so that said one portion of said gasket and said channel-' a shaped member maintain said panels in alignment, and whereby said another portion of said gasketv serves to substantially reduce any'therrn'al contact between said channel-shaped member and said inner panel, and a third portion of said gasket mounted on said channel shaped member adjacent said inner panel, thereby preventing the passage of any heat between said door and said refrigerator cabinet when mounted to cooperate with said refrigerator cabinet. I

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Levan Jan. '29, 1929 

